Cost Of Living in Marion, NC

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Marion	North Carolina	National
Cost of living	87	94	100
Goods & Services	100	98	100
Groceries	98	98	100
Health care	110	108	100
Housing	57	85	100
Transportation	92	92	100
Utilities	108	94	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Marion is 7% lower than the North Carolina average
The cost of living in Marion is 13% lower than the national average
Marion housing is 43% lower than the national average
North Carolina general sales tax is 7% lower than the national average
North Carolina state income tax is 83% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$44,441	$3,703	$1,037	$1,333
Renters	$32,386	$2,699	$756	$972

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Marion, NC, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Marion have a median income of $44,441. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,037 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $32,386, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $756.

North Carolina Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
North Carolina	4.75%	7.5%

North Carolina Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
North Carolina	4.75%	4.75%

Goods & Services

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$28.00	$24.26	15.4%
Beauty Salon	$48.22	$45.56	5.8%
Toothpaste	$3.80	$3.70	2.6%
Shampoo	$1.33	$1.28	3.6%
Movie	$13.07	$12.13	7.7%
Bowling	$15.89	$18.00	11.7%

Groceries

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.47	$5.84	10.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.46	$1.57	7.0%
Milk	$4.61	$4.67	1.3%
Potatoes	$5.27	$4.93	6.7%
Pizza	$10.44	$12.09	13.6%
Beer	$10.44	$10.41	0.3%

Health Care

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$155.11	$125.68	23.4%
Doctor	$166.73	$135.78	22.8%
Dentist	$113.89	$113.29	0.5%
Ibuprofen	$10.57	$10.65	0.7%
Lipitor	$509.86	$468.60	8.8%

Housing

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$97,400.00	$184,700.00	47.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,256.40	$2,346.69	3.8%
Apartment Rent	$628.00	$949.00	33.8%

Transportation

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.29	$3.46	5.0%
Tire Balancing	$49.99	$59.92	16.6%

Utilities

Item	Marion	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$221.84	$193.99	14.4%
Phone	$186.82	$192.25	2.8%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Old Fort, NC	743	86	13.7%
West Marion, NC	1,100	89	10.8%
Glen Alpine, NC	1,927	92	8.1%
Marion, NC	7,853	87	13.1%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Ripley, TN	7,852	81	18.7%
Campbell, OH	7,847	84	15.9%
North Springfield, VA	7,859	148	47.9%
Bonner Springs, KS	7,846	95	4.7%
Newell County, AB	7,846	n/a
Marion, NC	7,853	87	13.1%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Marion, NC